jerry springer live

We all know the meaning of that battle cry, so please don't try to deny it. Twenty years (and 505 episodes) after its launch, 'The Jerry Springer Show' -- voted "#1 Worst Show of All Time" by TV Guide -- is still hitting humanity's basest nerves with its mixture of out-there guests and in-studio violence.

Unlike predecessors 'The Jenny Jones Show' and 'Sally Jesse Raphael,' which fell victim to an off-screen murder and low ratings (respectively), 'Springer' has managed to survive the omnipresence of the internet and a zillion muck-racking reality TV shows.

AOL TV tried to find the answers to the obvious questions -- Is the show for real? How has it lasted? What's Springer like when he's "off"? And how long is he planning on hosting this show? -- by attending the taping of an episode. We share what we found out, after the jump.